Butterfly-shaped pigment dystrophy is an eye disease that produces butterfly-shaped lesions near the macula which can result in diminished visual acuity. In an article published in Nature Genetics, Saksens, Krebs, et al linked a mutation in the CTNNA1 gene to the disease in three families and found a mouse with the same mutation that showed a similar phenotype to the humans. The Micron IV rodent fundus camera revealed retinal dystrophy similar to humans.

Researchers at the University of Laval in Québec, Canada discovered unexpected findings with the Phoenix full field Ganzfeld electroretinography (ERG) system studying Alzheimer's model mice. ERG assesses the function of the retinal cells including the photoreceptors, bipolar cells, and amacrine cells by flashing light at the retina and recording the electrical responses of the cells. By examining the height and speed of the electrical response wave forms, the retinal function integrity can be measured. The Phoenix Ganzfeld ERG system flashes green or UV light on the entire retina, which can tease out the function of rods, M-cones, and S-cones separately.

Liu et al studied the survival and dysfunction of retinal ganglion cells (RGC) during chronic (glaucoma) and acute (optic nerve crush) injury in a series of comprehensive and elegant articles published from 2015 to 2017. The researchers used the Phoenix ERG and Micron IV provide a complete picture of RGC disruption.

Researchers Dailey et al, in the Mitton Lab at Oakland University used the Micron retinal imaging camera to examine retinal ganglion cell (RGC) survival in a mouse model of retinal ischemia. Oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) in mice recapitulates critical factors of the human diseases retinopathy of prematurity and diabetic retinopathy. Mice pups were raised in hyperoxegenated air (75% oxygen) for five days and then returned to room air (20% oxygen), which lead to pathological changes in the vascular and neural growth.

Dendrites may be retracted in several diseases as glaucoma. Studying morphology of dendritic arbors may give us an idea about functional deficits in those diseases. The Di Polo lab at the University of Montreal researches glaucoma using the Micron IV rodent retinal imaging camera and OCT module. Their scientists captured stunning fluorescent images with the Micron IV of mice genetically modified to produce yellow fluorescent protein (YFP)-taged retinal ganglion cells (RGC). the brightest RGC are visible in the bright field image along with blood vessels, optic nerve, and the retinal surface.

Phoenix Research Labs is pleased to announce ground breaking research on Parkinson's Disease by Price et al using the Micron Retinal Imaging System. Abnormally high concentration of the protein a-synuclein in the brain is linked with the physical and mental deficits caused by Parkinson's Disease {PD) and Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLP).

In the experiment above, pigs received six laser shots per eye, with the control group receiving saline treatment and test group receiving Eylea™ treatment. Eylea™, an FDA-approved drug, is an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) that prevents vascular growth. The crisp, high resoution brightfield and fluorescein angiography images, captured by the Micron X, show that Eylea™ clearly mitigates the neovascularization induced by laser burn.

Using mice genetically engineered to express a fluorescently tagged version of a key protein involved with the pathology of Parkinson’s disease, the developing neuropathology of Parkinson’s was observable and quantitatively studied in vivo over time.